Lets talk gait for a minute

[Terri]

I know this question has been asked before, but I clearly haven't understood it, cause when someone asked me at the last horse show I couldn't seem to form a coherent answer.

We were standing at the rail watching an Icelandic try to perform like a hunter (don't ask) and the person next to me asked why an Icelandic's gait was different than a Paso's gait. Aren't they all 4 beat?

Sooooo, of all the gaited breeds, what makes each's gait distinctive? I would assume they are all 4 beat, but what makes the Icelandics gait different than a Paso's and a Paso Fino's different than a Peruvian and a Peruvian different than Rocky Mountain Horse and a RMH different than a Spotted Saddle Horse and a Spotted Saddle horse different than a TWH. Well you get the idea. And what about the Saddlebred. I know some can preform a rack. Is it "natural" or trained into them? Are they truly considered "gaited". Just wondering.

[Cindy]

Well, let's start with calling every forward movement in step that any horse does gait as trot is gait as is walk and fino or corto. I think we who have "gaited" horses tend to forget that we often use the wrong terminology. Now, if you start there and then begin to look at gait, ALL gaits, you will begin to see that it is not only footfall that determines what gait a horse is doing. It is also the execution, the candence, the method of moving each leg, etc. that determines what specific gait a horse is performing. Otherwise, all horses could be considered "gaited" horses as they all perform a 4 beat gait. That gait is the walk. So it is the same thing that makes the walk different from the corto or fino or foxtrot or rack that makes the Paso Fino gait different from the gaits that other breeds perform. It is the execution. Just ask yourself how when you look at a Walking horse can you tell the difference in the slow rack from the corto, whatever you have observed, that is your answer. It's all in the execution.

[stella]

Its commonly called, differences in "way of going," or the style differences, in how the legs move thru the air, even if they are still 4 beat. Its the same with a trot - a hunter moves differently from a QH western pleasure horse, or pleasure morgan, or park arab....but its all still a trot, just a different "way of going."

ALSO, you have horses that truly perform an "amble," a 4 beat gait with a 2/1 support system, and then you have a true walk support system of 3/2....

On the stylistic differences for instance - in Paso Finos, you have/want symmetry of motion - front to back, either all 4 high or low, or medium, short or longer, but even step sizes...and the legs stay under the horse, esp the back legs in balance in dressage style(but still driving forward), whereas, in Peruvian horses, the "way of going" desired is more akin to TWH, where you want a long, low, very overreaching back stride, and the front motion is to be very high, flashy movement....in Peruvians, with termino(swimming movement)too. (also, a good TWH should have a nod to the head, whereas NOT so in the Peruvian...btw, the old Northern line(mountain) Peruvians...were lower gaited with little termino, the Southern lines favored termino, and this got adopted and standardized)

As far as Saddlebreds are concerned, there are observable differences in conformation between the 3 gaited horse and the 5 gaited - the 3 gaited horses usually have longer, much higher necks and necksets and higher point of buttocks, tails...more ventroflexed backs, so have the highest leg action- whereas the ones that tend to gait easily(with training)tend to be more muscular, have larger necks not quite so high set, and the rump is slopier.....gaited horses tend to have m/l an equilateral triangle between the points of the buttock, hip, and stifle proportionately. It allows for stabilizing their rear support, keeps their back legs under themselves, in motion. They can perform the "slow gait" and "rack"(faster speed).

Horses performing the rack-as in, "Racking horses," and the "stylistic" form of the rack(not just saddlebreds) tend to drive forward, and then push back off their hind legs(so that the leg is out behind the horse), more similar to the trot...it can be a faster gait, but at slower speeds, not as smooth, there's a tad of bounce to the rump....the quickness of feet at speed does smooth that out some....whereas, correctly done, in paso gait, the back legs should consistently drive forward. The rack tends to have 2/1 support, especially in speed. Just a general idea.....hope it helps!

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

WOW!!! I am impressed!!!!! great threads!!!

I am beginning to like this NEW ADMINISTRATION!!!!!! ;-) :lmao

[motorgypsy]

Another difference I noted when riding a really nice flat shod TW was the amount of what I call "float" or vertical motion in his gait was huge compared to a paso fino. The gait was very smooth and pleasant but quite different.

The paso fino movement kind of reminds me of the dancing ladies we saw with a Russian performing group. The wore very long skirts and when they danced their heads did not move up and down at all. It was as though they were riding on motorized skate boards or something. Our guys would look the same if you put a floor length skirt on them. A little vibration but sooooo level.

I was under the impression that the Icey Tolt was very similar in its "way of going" to the corto/largo but their flying pace is like the Puerto Rican Andadura horses. Smooth but really "strung out" and hugely fast!! Icey Owners???

[sporthorse]

cadence which being the actual timing(discernable sound/rythmic/eveness)of the footfall= a simple answer also is why we have a sounding board. sight ,sound, feel tell which gait is truest(evenly spaced isochronally like a metronome.

[motorgypsy]

True but there are very evenly cadenced MFT's, TW's and other gaited breeds but they just don't MOVE the way the paso finos does.

But then each paso fino moves differently also and some are more paso than others. And here is where we need some more of our experts to give us videos of "which are MORE paso and which are less".

[Heidi]

...videos of "which are MORE paso and which are less".
I can see people lining up their Pasos now to be the visual lesson of "which is less". *crickets*

[Soltera]

Our guys would look the same if you put a floor length skirt on them.

Now THERE'S an idea! Wouldn't that be fun? Capirison a whole class and judge them smoothness...LOL

[Heidi]

One of the fun shows in Madison did a "blind" class.
The judges sat with their backs to the sounding board so they could not see the horses, only hear them, and judged them on sounding board footfall.

[Finogirl]

I'm still a Paso baby - just learning but there seems so much to learn and take in, different tack and different way of riding too - I love learning.

You weren't joking about the Tolt in the Iceys - WOW they are fast, just take a look at this Youtube of one getting going.

Sorry if you've all seen in before but I thought it was amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7rWeWymJDw

[PLEASURE PASOFINO]

One of the fun shows in Madison did a "blind" class.
The judges sat with their backs to the sounding board so they could not see the horses, only hear them, and judged them on sounding board footfall.

Was that with Laracuentes?

[CarolU]

That's a pretty nice clip there Finogirl. The Icey's do move out. You need to watch the clips on the Pasos in Puerto Rico.

There you go...(hold onto your hat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

http://www.americanpasofinos.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15008&start=0

[Terri]

Well, there is more to the story. Last night a bunch of kids showed up here and two girls "slept over" with my daughter. Turns out one of them was the kid on the Icey. (I know what you are thinking - Doesn't she even know who is sleeping over at her house?: apparently not) Anyway, they all hopped on the horseys this morning and played. I let the Icey rider (I think her name was Katherine) ride Rio. She really enjoyed riding him, big smiles, said he was LOTS of fun. She said the corto felt very much like one of the Icelantic's tolt, but the faster the Icelandics go, the less smooth they are whereas Rio stayed smooth when he sped up to largo. But the largo isn't as fast as the Icelandics get. :roll: Does that make sense?

[Cindy]

Yes, that makes sense because the fast tolt that the icelandics do is more similar to the andadura that the Paso Finos do as it is closer to pace than to four beat gait. That is why it is not as smooth. If you push your Paso Fino to go fast in gait past the largo speed, you will acheive the andadura which will most likely feel more like the fast tolt. Still there are differences in execution that make the two gaits different gaits.

[Finogirl]

Flipping Nora Carol !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - that's an English term BTW !!! - those horses can shift. Which ones are Pasos and if so they are all in Largo ????

[Heidi]

Was that with Laracuentes?
I have no clue. I was there to mingle and take photos.

[Terri]

You know Cindy that makes even more sense than you think, cause Rio was just a tad pacey today. When he doesn't know or trust his rider he tends to get a little high headed and nervous and slips alittle toward pace. That is what he was doing at first today. After a while he relaxed, dropped his head and broke at the pole and came into his regular gait and she started getting a smoother largo outta him. But by then he had already reminded her of her Icelandic. Then they started jumping and any thoughts of gait went out of the teenagers heads.

And OH Yeah, Finogirl, those puppies are fast!!!